Seasonal tree pruning is one of the most valuable things you can do for the longevity and health of your trees. Taylor Expert Arborists provide professional pruning services that help to preserve the structural integrity, shape, health, and beauty of your trees. Seasonal tree pruning also reduces the risk of falling tree limbs during severe weather, helping you safeguard your home, cars, and pets.
Why Should I Prune or Trim My Trees?
Homeowners generally trim trees for one of three purposes: appearance, safety or health.
- Tree Appearance: Pruning a tree effectively helps to maintain its shape and appearance. However, you shouldn’t try to impose an unnatural shape or size on a tree. Over-pruning can cause serious injury to the tree’s tissues and decrease the tree’s ability to make food.
- Tree Safety: Deadwood or broken branches and limbs can fall off at any time, especially if storm damaged, which is a serious safety hazard. If the branches of a tree are over your home or driveway or laying on any part of your home, they should be trimmed away. Also, tree limbs and branches can occasionally grow too close to power lines. Your utility company or municipality can handle trimming street trees that interfere with power lines.
- Health of Your Trees: It is sometimes possible to save a diseased tree by strategically pruning away affected branches and limbs. Thinning the crown of a tree improves airflow, which can be very beneficial. If tree branches are crossing or rubbing together, they should be trimmed, or removed so that they don’t fall unexpectedly.
When is the Best Time to Prune Trees?
Because of the variety of tree species, and the different purposes for pruning, Taylor Expert Arborists perform pruning services throughout the year. When the purpose of the pruning is to find and remove deadwood and damaged limbs on trees, winter can be an ideal season. However, regardless of the season, it’s important to prune out any diseased, storm damaged, or dead branches as soon as you notice them to prevent the spread of disease and promote the overall health of the tree.
Deciduous Trees (Trees That Lose Their Leaves)
When the purpose of the pruning is for the general health of the tree, we look to prune deciduous trees, like oak trees, when they are dormant and most of their nutrients are held in the roots and wood. In New Jersey, that’s usually November through March — after the trees’ leaves have fallen, and before the new leaves have formed. There are several advantages to tree pruning during the dormant period:
- Visibility: Without leaves, it’s easier to see the tree’s structure, allowing for better decision-making regarding which branches to prune.
- Minimized Stress: Pruning during dormancy minimizes stress on the tree since it’s not actively growing or expending energy on new growth.
- Disease Control: Pruning during the dormant season reduces the risk of spreading diseases because pathogens are less active during this time.
- Promotes Growth: Pruning just before the growing season stimulates new growth, allowing the tree to heal and recover quickly.
However, there are some exceptions. Some deciduous trees, like maples and birches that are prone to bleeding sap, are best pruned in late spring or early summer when they are in full leaf. Pruning at this time helps to minimize sap loss.
Flowering Trees
The best time to prune flowering trees depends on the specific type of tree and when it blooms. Here are some general guidelines:
- Spring-Blooming Trees: Trees that bloom in early spring, such as cherry blossoms, magnolias, and flowering plums, should ideally be pruned immediately after they finish blooming. This timing allows you to enjoy the full display of flowers before pruning and ensures that you won’t accidentally remove flower buds for the next season.
- Summer-Blooming Trees: Trees that bloom in late spring or summer, such as crape myrtles, should be pruned during late winter or early spring while they are still dormant, before new growth begins. Pruning at this time allows for shaping the tree and removing dead branches or crossing branches without affecting the current season’s bloom.
- Fall-Blooming Trees: Trees that bloom in the fall, such as some varieties of hydrangeas, are best pruned in late winter to early spring while dormant. However, since they bloom on new growth, pruning in late winter won’t affect the current year’s bloom but will encourage healthy growth and blooms for the next season.
- Non-Blooming Season: For flowering trees that are not known for their flowers but are still valued for their overall appearance, such as dogwoods, winter is often a suitable time for pruning when the tree is dormant and structural issues can be addressed more easily.
Evergreens
The best time to prune evergreen trees and shrubs depends on the specific species and the goals of pruning. However, in general, homeowners should have a tree service prune evergreens in late winter to early spring before new growth begins. Here are some other considerations:
- Late Winter to Early Spring: This timeframe, while the tree is still dormant, is typically the best time for major pruning of evergreens. Pruning during dormancy allows the tree to recover and begin new growth once spring arrives.
- Late Spring to Early Summer: Light pruning of evergreens can also be done in late spring to early summer if necessary. However, avoid pruning too late into the summer, as this can stimulate new growth that may not have enough time to harden off before winter.
- Avoid Pruning in Late Summer and Fall: Pruning in late summer or fall is generally not recommended for evergreens, as it can interfere with the tree’s ability to prepare for winter and may increase the risk of winter injury.
- Pruning Dead or Diseased Branches: Dead, damaged, or diseased tree branches should be pruned as soon as they are noticed, regardless of the time of year.
- Shape Young Evergreen Trees: If you want to shape your evergreens for a particular form or size, it’s often best to start when the tree is young and then continue with light pruning as needed to maintain the desired shape.
Fruit Trees
The best time to prune fruit trees depends on the type of fruit tree, but in general:
- Winter Pruning: Many fruit trees, including apples and pears, are often pruned during the dormant season, which is typically in late winter to early spring before buds start to swell. This period allows for better visibility of the tree’s structure and encourages new growth in the spring.
- Summer Pruning: Some fruit trees, such as peaches and nectarines, can be pruned during the summer months after they have finished fruiting. Summer pruning is often done to manage the size of the tree, improve air circulation, and remove any water sprouts or overgrowth.
- After Harvest: For trees that produce fruit early in the growing season, such as cherries, pruning can be done shortly after harvest. This timing allows the tree to recover and set new buds for the following year.
- Avoid Pruning During Freezing Temperatures: It’s generally best to avoid pruning when temperatures are below freezing, as this can cause damage to the tree.
What’s the Difference Between Tree Pruning and Tree Trimming?
Homeowners often refer to tree pruning and tree trimming interchangeably, but a professional tree service company knows there are subtle differences between tree pruning and tree trimming.
Tree Pruning
Tree pruning involves selectively removing specific branches or parts of a tree for the purpose of improving its structure, health, or appearance. Pruning can include removing deadwood, diseased or damaged branches, thinning out crowded areas to improve airflow and sunlight penetration, shaping the tree for aesthetic purposes, or reducing the overall size of the tree. Tree pruning is typically done with specific objectives in mind and requires careful consideration of the tree’s growth patterns and needs.
Tree Trimming
Tree trimming generally refers to the maintenance of a tree’s outer appearance by removing overgrowth or unruly branches, often for aesthetic purposes or to maintain clearance from structures, power lines, or other obstacles. Trimming may involve shaping the tree to a desired form, removing tree branches that are interfering with buildings or walkways, or simply keeping the tree’s size in check. While trimming can also improve the structure and the health of the tree by removing dead or diseased branches, it is usually less precise and focused than pruning.
The tree experts at Taylor Expert Arborists can evaluate a homeowners’ trees to determine whether tree pruning services or tree trimming services are necessary to grow and maintain large, mature, and healthy trees.
Types of Tree Pruning
Arborists and tree experts perform various types of tree pruning based on the specific needs of the tree and the homeowner’s desired outcomes. Some common types of tree pruning include:
- Crown Cleaning: This involves the removal of dead, diseased, or dying branches from the tree’s canopy. Crown cleaning helps improve the health of the tree and appearance while reducing the risk of disease spread or branch failure.
- Crown Thinning: Thinning the crown involves selectively removing inner branches to reduce density and improve air circulation and sunlight penetration throughout the canopy. Crown thinning helps reduce wind resistance and can mitigate the risk of storm damage.
- Crown Raising or Elevating: Crown raising involves removing lower branches to increase vertical clearance beneath the tree. This type of tree pruning is often done to provide clearance for vehicles, pedestrians, buildings, or other structures.
- Crown Reduction: Crown reduction involves selectively reducing the size of the tree’s canopy by pruning back the outermost branches. This can be done to decrease the overall size of the tree, mitigate hazards, or improve the tree’s shape and structure. Crown reductions are only appropriate a very limited variety of trees!
- Crown Restoration: Restorative pruning is performed on trees that have been storm damaged or improperly pruned in the past. It involves selective pruning to restore the tree’s natural form, structure, and health.
- Selective Pruning: Selective pruning involves removing specific branches to address structural issues, promote desirable growth, or achieve aesthetic objectives while preserving the overall health and integrity of the tree.
- Formative Pruning: Formative pruning is done on young trees to establish a strong and well-balanced structure. This type of pruning helps shape the tree as it grows, promoting proper branch spacing and reducing the risk of future problems.
- Deadwooding: Deadwooding involves the removal of dead branches from the tree. Dead branches can pose a safety hazard and should be removed promptly to prevent injury or property damage.
Why Should I hire Taylor Expert Arborists for My Tree Pruning or Tree Trimming?
Homeowners may think only of tree pruning as something done to make a tree look better. While improved appearance is certainly among the upsides, pruning is fundamentally a tree health practice. And it’s an important one. Here are some of the many benefits of hiring a professional tree trimming service like Taylor Expert Arborists to prune your trees and keep your landscape attractive and healthy:
Reducing Risk to People, Pets, and Property
Taylor Expert Arborists’ first priority for pruning and trimming services is the detection and removal of diseased, broken, or dead tree branches and limbs that present a danger to surrounding people and structures, especially during severe weather.
In addition to mitigating structural issues with trees, pruning of this type can prevent disease-causing fungi on one part of the tree from penetrating and infecting other areas of your tree.
When dangerous or diseased limbs are removed, it sometimes requires the careful pruning or removal of live branches by a skilled tree expert in order to preserve the tree’s structural integrity and appearance.
Achieving Clearance Requirements
It is important to prune low-hanging tree branches that border walking paths, driveways, and surrounding buildings so that the tree does not interfere with the safe passage of pedestrians and cars. On urban properties, those concerns further extend to ensure the tree limbs and foliage on the homeowner’s property do not impede public sidewalks, power lines, and roadways, or the visibility of traffic lights and street signs.
Avoiding and Treating Disease
Many tree diseases are encouraged by excess moisture. Some circumstances that can cause chronic dampness in the tree’s foliage, stems, or root system — including inadequate sunlight and air flow in the tree’s crown — can be major contributors to its diseased state.
For that reason, pruning overgrowth on a tree (and/or any nearby trees that may be crowding it) can open up its leaf canopy to improve sunlight penetration and air flow. Those improved conditions can help the tree avoid the occurrence of moisture-related pathogens or improve the success of the tree expert’s preventive treatments for those diseases.
Correcting Problems in Young Trees
The careful pruning of structural defects in young trees, known as developmental tree pruning, helps young trees grow up with a strong, attractive, and healthy branch architecture. Thoughtful tree pruning on young trees can reduce the chance of serious problems when they become mature trees— and avoid the need for costly corrective measures like cabling and bracing.
Restorative Pruning
Over time, often as a result of storm damage or structural failure, the crown shape and branch structure of a mature tree can deteriorate. That’s when we advocate “restorative pruning” by a tree expert to bring the tree back to its characteristic form and stimulate healthy, new growth. To reap the rewards, restorative pruning requires advanced pruning techniques applied over multiple pruning cycles. But the renewed splendor and vigor of the best trees can be well worth the effort!
Improving the View
The strategic pruning, trimming, or removal of branches in a tree’s canopy can be performed to give homeowners’ an improved view. This creates visual access to lakes, valleys, or other picturesque views, while maintaining your privacy where desired.
How Do I Get an Estimate for Tree Pruning?
Contact Taylor Expert Arborists by phone, email, or the link below to request an estimate. Taylor Expert Arborists always provides free quotes in writing and includes the tree trimming cost and the cost of debris clean up. We have a wide range of tree pruning and tree trimming equipment and safety equipment to properly perform any pruning or trimming services necessary, and we always take into account accessibility and property preservation when bringing in equipment.
Taylor Expert Arborists always provides its customers with an easy-to-read written contract that protects the homeowner and tree service, spelling out pricing, payment terms, and everything that is included with the work.
I’ve Hired Taylor Expert Arborists, Now What?
So, you’ve made the smart decision to hire Taylor Expert Arborists to perform your tree pruning or trimming services, now how do you prepare for tree pruning services?
- Communicate with Your Neighbors: If the tree pruning may impact neighboring homeowners or if there are shared boundaries, inform your neighbors about the upcoming work. Discuss any concerns they may have and arrange access to their property if necessary.
- Clear the Work Area: Remove any obstacles or obstructions near the tree, such as vehicles, outdoor furniture, or garden decorations. Clearing the area around the tree will give the tree service company ample space to work and maneuver bucket trucks and other equipment safely.
- Be Available for Communication: Ensure that you or another responsible person will be available on your property during the tree pruning process to answer any questions, provide access to the property, and address any unexpected issues that may arise with the tree service company.
- Keep Pets and Children Inside: Keep pets and children indoors or away from the work area during tree pruning to ensure their safety. Loud noises from chainsaws and heavy equipment can be frightening or dangerous for animals and young children.
- Follow the Safety Guidelines: Follow any safety guidelines or instructions provided by the tree service company to ensure the safety of everyone involved. You must stay clear of the work area! If you want to watch the tree pruning service, you may be required to wear the appropriate safety gear and following any temporary access or traffic control measures.
Taylor Expert Arborists are hard-working tree care experts with years of experience, and we prune and trim trees in the safest way possible. We are family-owned and offer residential, commercial, and municipal tree trimming and pruning services, tree removal services, tree maintenance, stump grinding and stump removal, cabling and bracing services, tree health assessments, and emergency services. Taylor Expert Arborists are members of the New Jersey ISA and the New Jersey Society of Licensed Tree Experts.
Contact Us
We provide FREE consultations to all our clients! Taylor Expert Arborists always provides its customers with an easy-to-read written contract that protects the homeowner and tree service, spelling out pricing, payment terms, and everything that is included with the work.
